HISTORY

Helix was founded by six undergraduates at UC Berkeley in September 2017. Over the summer, they had been working as EMTs and had noticed a lack of diversity in healthcare providers at the facilities that they visited. Concerned, they looked into the issue and were surprised to discover that African Americans, Hispanics, and other ethnic minorities, despite making up 30% of the population, only comprise 10% of doctors. ​Around the same time, UCSF was hosting their Summer Science Camp for middle schoolers. Inspired, we thought, why not organize a summer program for those underrepresented in medicine to give them a chance to explore healthcare careers?

​Thus, we founded Helix, a non-profit organization whose goal is to address the underrepresentation of minorities in healthcare by stimulating interest and providing opportunities that empower these individuals to pursue a future in medicine.